AP-S COPE Forms

A special-purpose fund was approved to promote Equality (gender, race, income, and other variants) by leveraging access to Science and Technology opportunities in underserved  communities not ordinarily covered by the Chapter’s annual funding. Examples might include organizing a local event/workshop that benefits students in high school, a special field trip for
mentoring underprivileged students, a humanitarian-oriented COPE project, etc. Special-purpose  funding is limited to a maximum of $500 and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. A Chapter Officer can request COPE Special-Purpose funding by completing and submitting a “Special-Purpose Application Form” to the CAC (Chapter Activity Committee) and COPE
Committee. This form is posted on the AP-S Chapter’s web page; the form can also be requested from the CAC and COPE committee members. AP-S COPE Project Awards are prioritized based on the value of the project to the AP-S Chapter and the AP Society. If approved, the COPE and CAC will forward the request to the AP-S Treasurer, who will then issue funds to the local IEEE OUs in the manner requested by the Chapter (i.e., check, wire transfer, concentration account, etc.). The
preferred method for fund transfer is through IEEE Section CB (Concentration Bank).

Chapters are encouraged to select local schools where basic facilities (PC, Books, Internet, and low-cost Science Project Kits) do not exist. Chapters are encouraged to interact with local IEEE sections, School administration, and the local community for more considerable collaborative support for the COPE’s mission. For a long-term impact, Chapters are required to submit the annual report for receiving funding in the next year. AP-S COPE committee will select students from 10  schools from the outreach regions for consideration of awards. The objective is to motivate students and members to promote equality at the local school level. The name(s) of the award recipient(s) and Schools will be published in IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine and on the IEEE AP-S COPE website. AP-S COPE can support travel funding to K-12 (or equivalent) students and school
teachers engaged in STEM activities and other programs per AP-S COPE agenda for presenting at the AP-S COPE meeting in AP-S sponsored events. These steps will help CAC promote an inclusive and equitable culture in its chapter activities and programs that welcome, engage, and reward those chapters that contribute to the COPE mission. Chapters will be stimulated for
humanitarian projects that promote equality and will receive an additional $500 in financial support from the AP-S SIGHT and AP-S CAC budget.

The evaluation of the AP-S COPE Special Project proposals will be based primarily on serving underserved communities at local schools, proving motivation for STEM education, and spreading  the goal of IEEE, Advancing Technology for Humanity. After completion of the project, the awards committee will explore follow-up activities for low-cost production of the proposed technology, which is a critical requirement for humanitarian needs. The award will be announced at the annual awards ceremony of the IEEE AP-S flagship conference. The recipient will receive a plaque and a cash prize for the completion of the project. The name(s) of the award recipient(s) will be published  in IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine and on the IEEE AP-S website.

Chapters are encouraged to contact the AP-S CAC and COPE Chair for additional funding support of up to $5000. The decision will be based on a case-to-case basis, supported by AP-S COPE, AP-S SIGHT, and AP-S CAC budget under the particular project category to carry out and support impactful humanitarian and sustainable development activities at the local Section level.

The proposals should contain, at a minimum, a detailed description of the project and a budget.

The template of the form for COPE funding is given below.

AP-S COPE Special Project Purpose Application Instructions

1.  Before requesting any funds, ensure your chapter’s Annual final report has been filed for the previous year. No funds are released until an annual report is received.
2.  Indicate how the funds should be sent to your chapter:
3. a. If the funds are to be transferred electronically to the IEEE Section Concentration Bank Account, enter the Concentration Account information.
   b. If funds are to be transferred electronically to the chapter (the preferred method for many non-US chapters), enter the complete wire transfer information (e.g., Chapter Bank, account number, etc.)
   c. Note: IEEE stopped transferring funds to the personal bank account connected to Chapter officers. Please provide your Chapter bank account or IEEE Section Bank account details.
4.  E-mail this Form to the CAC (Chapter Activity Committee), Email: akpoddar@ieee.org and to AP-S COPE Committee: Dr. Meisong Tong (mstong@tongji.edu.cn), Dr. Anisha Apte (anisha_apte@ieee.org), Dr. Jawad Siddiqui (jys.rpe@gmail.com